OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Sitting in front of his locker with his shirt off Thursday, the scars on Baltimore Ravens linebacker Paul Kruger's stomach were clearly visible.

When he was a freshman at Utah, Kruger was attacked and stabbed by a gang after leaving a party. He had a collapsed lung and nearly died.

At age 13, Kruger was thrown from his uncle's Jeep during an accident. Kruger spent five days in critical condition and nearly died then, too.

For Kruger, the word "lifesaver" has deep meaning. But in a lesser sense, Kruger and cornerback Corey Graham have been lifesavers for the Ravens' defense.

Kruger led the team with 9½ sacks during the regular season, picking up the pass-rushing void at outside linebacker for Terrell Suggs, who missed significant time with an Achilles' tendon injury.

Graham intercepted two Peyton Manning passes last weekend, including a pick-six and another late in overtime that set up the Ravens' game-winning field goal. That play showcased the combined talents of Kruger and Graham. Kruger created the pressure, chasing Manning out of the pocket. When Manning threw the ball, late and over the middle, Graham anticipated and made the interception that crushed Manning's season.

Suggs, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Haloti Ngata get most of the headlines for the Ravens' defense. But without Kruger and Graham, the Ravens don't make it to Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots.

"When we got Corey on this football team, we knew he was a really good football player," Ravens special teams coach Jerry Rosburg said. "He wanted an opportunity to do more than just be a special teams player. All the way through training camp, he kept making plays. It didn't take us long to figure out, he's not only a good special teams player, he's a football player. When he's covering our wide receivers in practice, it gives you the confidence you can put him against the other team's best receivers. We like football players. And he's certainly one of them."

Graham believes he will see plenty of time in the slot, opposite Wes Welker. That matchup could be a key to Sunday's outcome.

"He (Welker) is very quick," Graham said. " He catches the ball well. (Tom) Brady is looking for him a lot, and he makes a lot of guys miss with fakes and things like that, so he is a complete receiver. I have my hands full in the slot, but I am up to the challenge."

Kruger wanted a rematch against the Patriots, who defeated the Ravens in last year's AFC Championship Game. He still remembers the awful feeling of walking off the field at Gillette Stadium last year after the Patriots escaped with a 23-20 victory. Billy Cundiff missed a 32-yard field-goal attempt with 11 seconds left in regulation that could have forced overtime.

A year later, Kruger seeks redemption.

"I wanted to play these guys," Kruger said. "I'm not sure how everybody felt. It wasn't something that came up in a team meeting or something like that. But I definitely wanted to play the Patriots. If you go back and watched last year's game, I definitely feel like we played well enough to win. But a few plays made the difference. Credit to them, they won the game. But it's going to be nice to have another crack.''

Kruger said sacking Tom Brady is difficult because he anticipates coverage well and delivers the football quickly. That's why the Ravens are focused on disrupting Brady's timing.

"We've just got to get pressure on this guy," Kruger said. "Anytime you get a sack you want it, but any kind of pressure, if you can hit him, that's good. He's strong and he's experienced. He's been around forever, so he knows all the veteran tricks."

If Kruger can pressure Brady, it may force him to throw before than he wants to. That is where Graham comes in. During his five seasons with the Bears, and he made the Pro Bowl as a special teams player last season. However after signing with the Ravens as a free agent, coach John Harbaugh was quickly impressed with Graham's skills in coverage.

"He's got very good ball skills," Harbaugh said. "He's got very good feet. He's got tremendous understanding of the game. He understands the coverages and things like that. He's got all the things that make for a good defensive back.''

Kruger and Graham delivered big-time, despite not being the biggest names on the Ravens' defense. A few more clutch plays from each on Sunday and the Ravens could be headed to New Orleans.